1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fluid dispenser. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for dispensing a viscous fluid food product in a substantially helical pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices for dispensing viscous fluid products such as, for example, liquid paints, liquid soaps, detergents, cleansers, glues, and condiments such as ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, salad dressing, syrup, jelly, and mayonnaise are well known. Such devices are commonly used in high-traffic places such as restaurants, cafeterias, and other commercial food service establishments.
Typically, such a device includes a manually operable pump. The pump usually has an inlet, an outlet, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder with freedom of axial movement, and a piston rod fixedly attached to the piston and extending through an end surface of the cylinder with an end thereof being disposed outside the cylinder. The piston or the piston rod can be moved between an upper working position and a lower working position. The pump is operable to suck or pump in, via its inlet, a viscous fluid product from a container when the piston or the piston rod is moved in one direction and to dispense or pump out, via its outlet, the viscous fluid product when the piston or the piston rod is moved in the opposite direction. Typically, there is a spring installed inside the cylinder, which loads or biases the piston or the piston rod in the upward direction to ensure that the piston or piston rod will automatically return to its upper working position when there is no exterior force pushing it in the downward direction.
A handle is fixedly attached to the exposed end of the piston rod and has a discharge orifice which is in fluid communication with the outlet of the manually operable pump. The discharge orifice is rotationally fixed relative to the handle and the piston rod.
The device is fixedly mounted on a container through a threaded cap, with the handle being disposed outside the container. There should be a sufficient amount of viscous fluid product in the container so that the inlet of the pump can be submerged in the viscous fluid product. The inlet of the manually operable pump is usually positioned very close to the bottom of the container so that there is no need to frequently add viscous fluid product to the container until the container is almost empty.
When a person needs some viscous fluid product, that person simply pushes the handle to move the piston or the piston rod from its upper working position toward its lower working position, and the pump will pump out the viscous fluid product from the container. If that person needs more viscous fluid product than the device is able to dispense in a single push, he or she can release the handle, and after the piston or the piston rod returns to its upper working position, pushes down the handle again, and if necessary repeat this process until he or she has a sufficient amount of the viscous fluid product.
Since the discharge orifice is rotationally fixed relative to the handle, the device will dispense the viscous fluid product in a continuous straight stream pattern. This pattern may fail to provide adequate coverage of a target area, may place too much of the product in one area, or may simply be too plain.
Thus, a need exists for a dispensing device which, when used in combination with a conventional container, is capable of providing an adequate coverage of a viscous fluid product, on a target area.
A further need exists for a dispensing device which, when used in combination with a conventional container, is capable of dispensing a viscous fluid product in a pattern other than a straight stream.
Yet a further need exists for a simple and manually operable dispensing device which, when used in combination with a conventional container, is capable of dispensing a viscous fluid product in a substantially helical pattern.